City guide digs into early meal

Wednesday

Nov 2, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 2, 2011 at 8:08 PM

Breakfast, at least to Nicholas Dekker, really is the most important meal of the day. The 32-year-old resident of the Clintonville neighborhood has made a side career out of the morning meal - and, on Saturday, will release Breakfast With Nick: Columbus, a book about breakfast places.

Robin Davis, Dispatch Kitchen

Breakfast, at least to Nicholas Dekker, really is the most important meal of the day.

The 32-year-old resident of the Clintonville neighborhood has made a side career out of the morning meal — and, on Saturday, will release Breakfast With Nick: Columbus, a book about breakfast places.

Dekker remains the force behind a blog of the same name (www.breakfastwith nick.wordpress.com) that he started in 2007.

On the blog, he provides his reviews of breakfast joints in the area and, occasionally, in other cities where he travels.

His following grew, and, in 2009, he was reached by PBS to help with a national TV special on breakfast.

“That was a tipping point,” Dekker said.

He decided to turn the information from his blog into a book.

Although the book is named after the blog, Dekker quickly notes that the blog isn’t simply repeated in print: It is transformed into a guidebook.

He features about 30 restaurants, plus listings for more than 200.

“Telling the story of the restaurants is what the book is about,” he said.

The book is divided into five sections: those on the four geographic corners of the city and one on the central corridor, which includes Clintonville and the Short North.

It also details a few “side dishes” — trips outside Franklin County to places such as Der Dutchman, the breakfasts that diners might find at farmers markets and some of the upscale restaurants that offer brunch.

The 124-page book is credited to Dekker only, but he calls it more of a collaborative project: His wife, Beth, organized and marketed the book. Robin Oatts of Genre Creative took the photographs and designed the result.

The three decided to self-publish instead of going through a publishing house.

“We realized we had the marketing resources already. I had a big enough following already,” Dekker said. “(Self-publishing) really simplified the process.”

What they lacked, however, was the money to print the books.

The group turned to Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects — from art and fashion to food and literature.

People donate money to a project to get it started.

In this case, contributors received a copy of the book once printed, although they could — and did — give more.

The book will be sold on his website and at a handful of stores and restaurants, including the Book Loft in German Village, the Celebrate Local shop at Easton Town Center and the Hills Market on the Far North Side.

Dekker isn’t quitting his day job teaching the history of drama and theater at Ohio State University.

“I really do love teaching,” he said. “I would miss that.”

He isn’t done with breakfast in Columbus, either: He plans to continue writing reviews on his blog and updates for a possible second edition of the book.